Katuwapitiya

let 'em try to find the beauty in your face

There are times when I get jaded with a genre. Sometimes it happens to indie rock but more often it happens with hip hop. Hey, I can’t help it when all the artists that I love simultaneously decide to start releasing sub-par material (Re: the latest releases by Kanye West, Common, Little Brother, Talib Kweli, and sigh, even Mos Def). And yeah, the new Q-tip album is nice, but I keep waiting for Phife Dawg to pop up on the next verse and end up disappointed.

Once in a while, however, a song can remind you why you love a genre. And it doesn’t have to be a prototypical genre song either. Sometimes, it can be something so fresh and new that it redefines potential and shows you levels that can be reached.

I’ve largely ignored releases by P.O.S. for superficial reasons. His moniker is just too dangerously close to the name of P.O.D. and just like I’d avoid a band named Bevanescence, I’ve avoided checking out this Rhymesayers artist. However, I took a leap of faith based on a lot of recommendations, and stumbled upon the track “Purexed” off his new album Never Better.

Needless to say, this is one of those songs that can remind you of why you love hip hop. And it does it in a way that my indie rock readers might like too. Just incredible. His flow has the urgency of Sage Francis and the way it builds, especially in the chorus, it’s just surreal. Check it out below:

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I’m done defending Kanye West.

I used to love K.O.W.

All my life, I’ve been quick to defend the ‘black man in the spotlight who is heavily criticized’.

The root of this tendency probably stems from my love for Michael Jackson. He was the first artist that I can remember calling myself a fan of and for that reason, I’ve defended him my entire life. Hell, I even bought “Blood on the Dance Floor”. That’s dedication.

Often, I find that the mainstream media is quick to judge prominent black celebrities when there is a combination of a poor choice of words and a cocky attitude (justified or not). Some good examples of this theory are Terrell Owens, Isaiah Washington, and Kanye West.

Terrell Owens was the reason I started watching football. Isaiah Washington was the best part of Grey’s Anatomy. And Kanye West? I’ve been a fan of his from day one.

When I was in a car accident, recovering in a hospital, I flipped out when “Through the Wire” started playing on MuchMusic. I agreed with his George Bush sentiments and even agreed with the way he went about it. I didn’t mind that he was so honest about deserving an MTV award because I thought he deserved one too. And I was brought to tears when he performed “Hey Mama” after the death of his mother.

But goddamn it Kanye. I’m done.

Yes. You’re a good producer. Probably one of the best in the business. And I was well aware of your lack of writing ability. Over the years, I’ve shrugged off lines like:

“Saying “we eat pieces of shit like you for breakfast”
Huh? Yall eat pieces of shit? What’s the basis?”

“And I know the government administered AIDS,
So I guess we just pray like the minister say”

“I thought my Jesus Piece was so harmless
’til I seen a picture of a shorty armless”

“Till I got flashed by the Papparazzi
Damn, these niggaz got me
I hate these niggaz more than a Nazi”

“Old folks talking bout back in my day
But homey this is my day.
Class started 2 hours ago, oh am I late?
You know I already graduated
And you can live through anything if Magic made it.
They say I talk with so much emphasis,
OOOO they’re so sensitive.”

I could put up with all this and I could defend you through it all. But now someone gave you the notion that you can sing?! Come on.

If you’re bad at rapping, you don’t start singing with a vocoder and call that an evolution. The production quality on your highly-digitized voice is great, as usual, but the world does not need another T-Pain.

When you’re “singing” bad lyrics instead of “rapping” them, it gives us time to really focus on what you’re saying. And when you’re saying nothing (“System overload/Screamin no no no no no”), and you’re singing it poorly, it does not work.

I’ll always respect you for what you’ve done for artists like Common, Mos Def and Talib Kweli. But I can’t help but focus on how ridiculous you’ve become. Even before the singing, I started having my doubts. It’s one thing to tour with Rihanna. It’s another thing to make your set revolve around ludicrous interactions with a spaceship named “Jane”. Then there are the very questionable guest spots on tracks by artists like T-Pain and Kid Sister. Add the singing and I’ve had enough.

For more on Kanye’s unfortunate decision to suck at singing, download the mp3 of his new single “Love Lockdown”, or check out “It’s Over” from John Legend’s new album (another good example of why I’ve had enough).

I hope you prove me wrong Kanye. I really do.